Olveston Historic Home Guided Tour: Discover New Zealand's Early 20th Century Lifestyle

Immerse yourself in the early 20th century lifestyle at Olveston Historic Home in Dunedin. Explore the stunning architecture, beautiful gardens, and rich history on a guided tour.

Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Olveston Historic Home - All tours are guided by our professional staff to give you the ultimate time capsule experience. You will learn about how a wealthy merchant family lived in the early 1900’s in Otago’s major town, Dunedin, built on gold. Olveston has all its original contents with over 120 art works.
    After your tour of over 13 spectacular…
What's Included
  • Expert local guide included
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Experience the fine structure, verdant landscapes, and ornate interior of the sophisticated Olveston Historic Home on a 1-hour guided exploration of this must-visit Dunedin site. You also have the opportunity to saunter through the picturesque gardens while admiring cityscapes and Otago Harbour vistas. As you journey through the house, your…

Location
42 Royal Terrace
Royal Terrace
At Olveston reception
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(153 Ratings)
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Anudesilva
Jan 16, 2025
Historical house in Dunedin - Olveston House is a house belongs to a wealthy person in Dunedin. It has number of attractive and historical items belongs to that family. You can take a guided tour if you like or self-guided tour will be ok if you can do a better homework before visit this place.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Getaway67194671923
Dec 24, 2024
Like time travelling - Amazing tour, the scale of the house surprised me and seeing a slice of the past as if you were time travelling was such a treat
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sherpa801821
Dec 22, 2024
Great visit - We really enjoyed our visit with the house tour and the lovely gardens. We arrived early for our 2.45pm tour and received a friendly greeting from the young man in the shop. As it was sunny, we explored the small but colourful gardens. Then we undertook the tour, there were five of us led by Kevin the guide, who was very informative and made the house come alive. Being from England, it was interesting to learn and see how a New Zealand family that had made its wealth, lived. We can fully recommend this experience, you will not be disappointed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stevess6425hg
Dec 17, 2024
House and Garden Visit - What a fantastic place to visit!.....the whole house left untouched but well maintained by the staff and guides were well informed. The grounds are worth a visit as well .Would recommend to book to make you get in as tour places are limited
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Inspectorrm2309
Dec 15, 2024
Must visit and tour - What a fantastic home and tour. We were the only couple on our tour so had plenty of opportunity ask questions of our guide who was very knowledgeable and passionate about the property. After the tour don't forget to walk through the gardens - lovely setting.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bryanandbevrose
Dec 9, 2024
An Excellent Glimpse of Life in 1907 - My husband and I very much enjoyed our tour of Olveston House today. Our guide, Alec, projected his voice amongst 14 of us and brought the magnificent house to life with his explanations and anecdotes. It felt like the Theomin family had just stepped out of the house for the day! It was an excellent guided tour and I would recommend it to both overseas and New Zealand visitors alike.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D1546wgsarahe
Dec 4, 2024
Highly recommend this tour. - We really enjoyed our tour with our guide, Chris, and one other guest. Chris was very knowledgeable and she could answer all our questions. There was much to see in each room. There are many beautifully preserved, original features within this home, as well as a very extensive art and furniture collection from the Theomin family. It really feels like you have stepped into their home as they would have lived it. It was a very relaxed and interesting tour. The house is fascinating and the garden is beautifully kept. We were visiting from out of town, but we liked the sound of all the events that are regularly held there. Thank you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sue
Nov 29, 2024
You will not be disappointed, the Olveston House tour is a definite must! - Wonderfully informative guide who took us through the rooms, the history & opulent grandeur of that time. You also see the original sculleries & kitchen full with the crockery and equipment the many staff used. Only three people on my tour so plenty of time to ask questions too. Don’t miss this!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
O1231yprobync
Nov 19, 2024
Exceptional! - This is an exceptional Edwardian home full of the original families objects, art and furnishings. I put this experience at the top of my list for this trip to NZ along with the Milford sound walk. If you love architecture, art, objects, history and gardens it's not to be missed. I'll never forget the experience, wonderful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Overseas_aussie
Nov 7, 2024
Magnificent historic home - This historic building and grounds has been kept as though the original family was still living there. The house was gifted with all the original family contents including its furniture,books, paintings,extravagant collectibles from around the world, silver cutlery and several dinner sets for all the dinner parties that were held. The tour guide was brilliant, very informative.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 9 guests
1 Adult
January 2025
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